For Samsung, Flip Phones Aren?t Dead, They are Smart

Era of flip phones is long gone, but Samsung has taken yet another approach. Smartphone approach. With that said, it is not the first time the company has packed a smartphone in a clamshell case. Samsung SCH-W999 was a unit launched in late 2011 but never saw the global variant once it launched on China Telecom. It was a phone with dual 3.5-inch 480×800 S-AMOLED panels, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (S3) MSM8660 and Android 2.3 with TouchWiz interface. Aside from the dual screen panels, there was a dual SIM slot and dual-mode connectivity (GSM and CDMA2000).

Now, Samsung China has unveiled the Hennessy (SCH-W789), a ?new generation? flip phone that brings us back a couple of years sporting components that are probably (and unfortunately) best described as low mid-range. Device features dual 3.3-inch touch screens with each having a resolution of only 320×480 pixels (HVGA). Next in line are an unnamed 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a microSD card slot, though internal memory remains unknown. Other features of the unit are 5MP camera with flash, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi capability. Similarly to the predecessor unit, Hennessy also brings in CDMA and GSM compatibility as well as dual-SIM design. Unit is powered by now-dusty Android 4.1, with unavoidable TouchWiz layer known from all Samsung’s mobile units.

It is truly unfortunate Samsung didn’t use their abilities to full extent to pack more high-end components inside of the big case. Even the battery is of severely limited 1500mAh capacity.

SCH-W789 measures at 110.85 x 59.3 x 18.62 mm and 208 grams, and one would think they managed to cram the heavy-duty battery inside that thick and heavy shell too. That is not the case, as the back side of the unit contains only a 1500mAh battery. Pricing seems to be unusually high, with some sources saying the unit costs around 4999 Chinese yuan or $815.

For the moment being, there is no information if this unit will become available outside of China and bring a slight gust of history to the rest of the world. More info available on the Samsung China webpage.